The Pensieve
by Beci
Summary: After another blazing row, Ron storms off needing time to relax. But whilst looking for Harry's invisibility cloak, he makes a startling discovery which will change his life forever. One shot.


**The Pensieve**

"That's absolute rubbish Hermione and you know it!" Ron yelled back at Hermione, his face flaming the same colour as his hair.

"OH REALLY? So I talk rubbish now do I?" Hermione shouted back, her fists clenched and her nose wrinkled in fury. She too had gone very red in the face.

Neither of them had noticed that the entire Gryffindor common room had fallen silent and was eagerly watching their argument. As common an occurrence as Ron and Hermione's fights were becoming, they still attracted a very large audience. Harry was sat in a chair by the fireplace, low down in his seat, cringing for the pair, desperately hoping he wouldn't get brought into this in some way. Ron had a funny way of doing just that.

"WILL YOU STOP TWISTING MY BLOODY WORDS!" Ron was screaming with full force now. Hermione, however didn't reply. She simply stood there glowering at him dangerously. Had Ron been calm enough to notice, he would have seen she looked remarkably like his mother at that instant.

After what felt like an age of silence, Ron turned on his heel and stormed off towards the staircase leading to the boy's dormitory. Just as he was rounding the first bend he heard the common room erupt with chatting and laughter.

Ron violently kicked the door open to their dormitory, which was for the time being empty, and just as harshly slammed it shut. He had many arguments with Hermione nowadays, but none that made him feel this much anger. Everything he seemed to say she would change to something else, often something that she didn't like. Take just now for example, Ron had simply commented to Harry about a girl from their Defence Against the Dark Arts looking pretty good, and Hermione had gone off on one completely. Yelling about how he had no respect for women and why didn't he just go off with her? Ron really didn't understand her at all, this was what frustrated him most. He often didn't know why they were even arguing.

Feeling the anger begin to ebb away now he was alone, Ron began to feel slightly ashamed of himself, not to mention embarrassed. He knew that there was no chance their argument had been missed by anyone in Gryffindor Tower, or the whole castle come to that. He needed to be alone, somewhere he wouldn't be bothered, just so he could think.

Then the idea came to him. He could borrow Harry's invisibility cloak and go out of the Tower unnoticed. Ron hastily made for Harry's trunk, assuming he wouldn't really mind if he borrowed it.

_Merlin, _Ron thought as he opened his best friend's trunk, _what a slob! _Harry's school books, robes, pieces of parchment and an assortment of other items where all jumbled together. Ron began to look through the mess for the silvery fluid-looking cloak. But something else caught his eye at the bottom of the trunk.

It was an ornately carved wooden box with a decorated brass handle. Ron couldn't help but be curious. He looked fleetingly towards the door and looked back at the box.

"What could it hurt?" Ron asked himself aloud and grabbed the handle, pulling the heavy lid off and placing it on the floor next to Harry's trunk. He looked inside and was shocked to say the least by what he saw.

A Pensieve. It was like a grey stone sink with runes etched all around the rim. Inside was a silvery liquid, which reminded Ron of Harry's cloak. This thought made Ron feel guilty. Harry obviously would mind Ron looking at this. But he was feeling too overcome by curiosity to simply put it back.

Ron pulled his wand out of his robe pocket and jabbed the liquid quickly. It began to swirl around the basin, resembling a tornado or a whirlpool. Without another thought, Ron leaned over the basin and thrust his head into the whirling metallic fluid.

He felt like he was falling, and all he could see was black wherever he looked. He was also beginning to feel ill from the spinning motion. _This is much worse than floo powder, _Ron thought. Just as he thought he was about to retch the movement suddenly stopped.

Ron glanced quickly around, taking in the sudden change in surroundings. It took him a moment to register where he was. Then it hit him…Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore was sat at his desk, looking as old and weary as Ron had ever seen him. He had his fingers interlaced and his chin resting on them, elbows leaning on his desk. His blue eyes seemed to have lost their usual twinkle and it had been replaced by a look of utmost sadness and despair. Ron moved closer to the desk. As he did so he also realised that he recognised the scruffy black hair of the boy Dumbledore was with; Harry.

Harry was sat staring at the Headmaster, his emerald green eyes fixed intently on Dumbledore's ocean blue ones. "Are you sure Professor?" Harry asked, looking to Ron rather dubious.

"Yes Harry. I feel your need is greater than mine at the present time. I hope the Pensieve will help you to find some of the answers to your questions. I will have some house elves bring it to you. It should be kept a complete secret."

Harry nodded at the Headmaster and smiled weakly. Both men stood and Harry extended his hand, which Dumbledore shook, smiling back with contentment. Ron noticed that the twinkle was beginning to return to his eyes. Harry broke the gesture and walked quickly out of the room, Dumbledore's gaze following him from the room.

The room and Dumbledore faded and began to swirl around Ron once more. He clamped his eyes tightly together and took a deep breathe. However, Ron was relieved to find that after just a couple of seconds a new scene was before him.

It took him no time at all to realise where he was this time. The cosy armchairs and scarlet and gold decorations told him immediately he was now in the familiar environment of their common room.

Ron looked around, wondering which memory he was about to see. He gaze settled on Harry and Hermione slumped in armchairs in front of the dying fire. Both looked quite serious and Ron wondered whether he actually wanted to watch this or not. The mention of his name from Harry however, threw all chances of him leaving the memory straight out of the window.

Ron walked directly over to his friends and stood beside Harry's chair, exceptionally glad that neither could see him.

"Why don't you just tell him Hermione?" Harry was saying, "he'll never realise on his own. As a species, we're not the best at picking up hints." There was a distinct tone of persuasion in Harry's voice that was not lost on Ron.

Hermione looked at the glowing embers in the fireplace and then back to Harry. "I don't know Harry." She replied, her chocolate brown eyes were overflowing with confusion. "I can't put my feelings out there and have him reject me. I can't risk it. It'll wreck our friendship."

Harry sighed deeply, a look of disappointment mingled with exasperation spreading obviously across his face. "If you don't even tell him how you feel, how do you know how he'll react? I'm telling you 'Mione, you two are made for each other."

"I think we are. But I can't risk it. I just can't." Hermione looked sadly back into the fireplace, silent.

Comprehension had been dawning on Ron's face throughout the entire conversation, but at Hermione's last words it had hit him like a ton of bricks.

_That's why we always fight, _Ron thought as he began to spin around in darkness again. _That's why her writing to Vicky irritates me. That's why she hates me talking about other girls. _

Ron opened his eyes once again to find himself back in the present in the dormitory. He rapidly placed the lid back on the box and shoved all Harry's clothes back in, the trunk as messy as it had been before.

Ron couldn't believe he hadn't noticed this. How could he not have realised he was in love with one of his best friends? How could he not have noticed she felt the same?

He practically ran towards the door, opened it and walked hastily down the stairs, letting the door bang closed behind him.

As he re-entered the common room he glanced quickly around and spotted his two friends chatting quietly by the entrance to the girl's dormitory staircase. Ron this time did notice that people were looking at him, but this time he really didn't care if the whole world was watching.

Ron walked determinedly over towards the pair, looking intently at Hermione who at that moment turned slightly and saw him approaching. She glared at him but Ron didn't stop or even slow down.

"Ron, we were just…" Harry began as Ron reached them, but before he finished Ron had grabbed Hermione around the waist and pulled her into a passionate kiss. He felt as if he was walking on air as he felt Hermione begin to respond to him, and move in closer to his body. His hands slid up her body and cupped her face as he gently pulled away. Ron continued to look deep into Hermione's eyes, he had never realised just how beautiful they were before now. She smiled nervously at Ron, and he beamed back at her.

"It's about bloody time!" Ron heard Harry exclaim from behind him, as he closed his eyes, and pulled Hermione close once more.


End file.
